Composting Basics
The composting process requires a good mixture of nitrogen-rich (typically called “green”) and carbon-rich (typically called “brown”) organic materials. Think of nitrogen-rich materials as most things that are still green or still retain some moisture, such as banana peels, grass clippings, and the broccoli your kids wouldn’t eat. Think of carbon-rich materials as most things that are brown and dry, like sawdust, shredded paper, and oak leaves.
Never compost ashes or any animal products, such as meat, fish, grease, or even droppings. Ashes will slow the process considerably, and animal products will attract vermin.
When you start composting your wood shop waste, you’ll want to try to achieve a mixture of about thirty parts carbon to one part nitrogen in your compost bin. This sounds like great news if you make a lot of sawdust, but be aware that sawdust is very high in carbon (a carbon to nitrogen ratio somewhere around 250-500 to 1) and it’s usually very dry. Carbon is the easy part, so look for a lot of greens to combine it with, and try to keep it moist to the touch (but not wet). Food scraps and other green, moist plant material such as grass clippings are best at introducing nitrogen. In a pinch you can go to the home center for manure.
Add some water to keep the compost moist and to get things cooking, and stir it up (“turn” it) every so often to mix it up and let in some fresh air, and before too long you’ll notice that your pile of debris is actually heating up. This is because hundreds of little (often microscopic) organisms are munching away, turning your sawdust and banana peels into a dark, earthy, nutrient-rich compost that your plants will love.